Newport

Just because House Finance passed the FY 2016 budget onto the House floor for next Tuesday, doesn’t mean the entire House of Representatives has to like it. In fact, much of the bill is contested – such as the tourism cuts that Representative Teresa Tanzi, Narragansett/South Kingstown, has voiced her opposition to. “When I moved […]

All the teams in the Volvo Ocean Race use identical boats, they sail over the same waters, and they bounce over the same waves. However, there is something very different with one team in this year’s 38,739 nautical mile race. Team SCA is the only all-women team in the otherwise male-dominated around-the-world sailboat race currently […]

RI Future Sailing Correspondent Roberto Bessin was at Ft. Weatherill State Park in Jamestown to see Team SCA enter Narragansett Bay after a 5,000 mile sail from Brazil – the sixth leg in this year’s Volvo Ocean Race, which made port in Newport last night and this morning. SCA, the only all-women boat competing in […]

The first solo sailor to circumnavigate the earth in 1898 had to hug the Castle Hill coastline as he finished his 47,000 mile voyage in Newport, Rhode Island. Joshua Slocum was dodging the lethal shipping mines planted at the entrance of Narragansett Bay during the Spanish American War. After surviving two years and 47,000 miles […]

Governor Gina Raimondo and House Speaker Nick Mattiello have both indicated they are open-minded to taxing and regulating marijuana this legislative session. Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, on the other hand, said she remains skeptical. “I do remain concerned about the potential health affects,” she said before the start of the Senate session on Thursday. […]

Nearly 160 teachers in five urban school districts are getting more resources for classroom innovation thanks to $148,000 in grants from the Rhode Island Foundation. Full-time third-grade teachers in any public or charter school in Central Falls, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket were eligible to for Spark Grants of up to $1,000 to fund programs […]

Governor Linc Chafee supports table games at a casino in Newport, he said Tuesday while in the City-by-the-Sea. But the law that put the question on this year’s ballot violates Rhode Island’s Constitution by granting regulatory power to the General Assembly, he said in a signing statement earlier this year. “…the Act contains an unconstitutional […]

The environment has a friend in Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, who again earned the endorsement of the local Sierra Club chapter this campaign season. The state’s highest ranking senator who represents Newport and Jamestown has won the Sierra Club’s support going back to at least 2006. “I sought out the Sierra Club’s endorsement because […]

President Barack Obama said last night at a Newport fundraiser that the United States has “objectively” improved during his presidency, but pointed out that “the economy hasn’t benefitted (sic) everybody” and that “internationally, we’re going through a tumultuous time.” POTUS gave shout outs to all four members of the Rhode Island Congressional delegation, Steve [not […]

I wonder what Little John thought as he gazed into the lamenting eyes of captive Africans, as their shackled feet pressed their way onto the blood-stained sailing vessel of death. One can only imagine Little John fears as he beheld those humans — some of whom were his same age. “Will they kill me? Will I return home to my mother and father and brothers and sisters?” he must have speculated to himself.”

A high number of Patch editors from Rhode Island and around the country were laid off today. While the corporate-owned community news websites aren’t informing the community about the changes, the people that built and kept the sites vibrant, who are now without a paycheck, are. We spoke with Olga Enger, the former editor of […]

The national media has again picked up on the concerns of a vocal minority here in the Ocean State. No, I’m not talking about small government libertarians, this one is a constituency that actually exists in Rhode Island outside of politics. Surfers. Environmentalists, beach bums, wave junkies and the tourist industry have joined forces recently […]

Soon Black History Month (Feb) will be here, and if the past is truly prologue, we should expect the typical, mediocre and depoliticized historical trivia that gets passed off as “Black History.” However, I intend to combat this with historical commentary, that occasions a more relevant way in which to engage Africana history, philosophy, and […]

So CNBC thinks Rhode Island is a rotten place to do business … well at least Yankee Magazine recognized that the Ocean State has some of the coolest coastal communities in the region. In its annual ranking of the best beach towns in New England, editors ranked five Rhode Island municipalities among the 25 best […]

Next weekend marks the 36th Annual Save The Bay Swim where some 500 swimmers attempt the 1.7 mile swim from Newport to Jamestown in support of Save the Bay. This will be my 4th year participating (please consider making a donation). The swim this year is taking place on my birthday! I can’t think of […]